1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing remote services. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to providing personal and interactive services between a customer located in a retail location and a service provider located in a remote centralized call center.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Financial institutions face a number of challenges in providing banking services to their customers. One of those challenges is providing fast, personal, and economically efficient service to their customers. Traditional walk-up teller windows provide personal service, but are often slow for the customer and an economically inefficient solution for the financial institution. Because of the peaks and valleys of customer demand throughout a day, financial institutions often have of idle tellers.
In an attempt to reduce staffing costs, financial institutions turned to installing automated teller machines (ATM), both at the financial institution itself as well as in a variety of retail locations. The latest ATM's are capable of addressing a wide variety of a customers financial transaction needs. However, ATM's do not address the desire of many customers to have a personal/human relationship with their financial institution.
Other attempts to provide more efficient yet personal human-to-human banking have been made. For example, Remote Teller Systems have been developed that allow for closely located (up to 400 feet away) tellers to handle multiple customer transactions using pneumatic tubes for transference of checks and other materials between the customer and the teller. Although this system enhances economic efficiency for the financial institution, the tellers are still required to be closely located to the customer and the tellers can still only serve one branch's customers. Thus, the financial institution will still face teller idleness associated with the peaks and valleys of customer demand on that particular branch.
Although banking methods are continuously diversifying, nearly 80% of people still use a branch at least occasionally and 58% of people feel that branch transactions will continue to be a main method of contact with their bank in the coming years. In general, 68% of people who visit a branch for their banking needs do so to have personal/one to one contact and 35% of people visit a branch because they like to know whom they are dealing with. Financial institutions will continue needing fast, personal, economically efficient service for customers. In other works, personal service and economic efficiency are two key yet seemingly conflicting elements to performing bank services.